How to Translate Personal Names كيفية ترجمة الأسماء الشخصية

[ESAL SPIRIT]

How to Translate Personal Names?

Personal names often constitute a major problem in translation. For translating proper nouns, different models are suggested. In this respect, seven models presented by Hervey and Higgins (1986), Newmark (1988), Theo Hermans (1988), Farzane Farahzad (1995), Anthony Pym (2004), Lincoln Fernandes (2006), and Heikki Särkkä (2007) will be defined here.

1. Hervey and Higgins (1986) present these strategies for translating PNs :
   • Exotism: The name should remain unchanged from the SL to the TL. In this method no cultural transposition is occurred (p.29).
     
     

     Transliteration: The name is shifted to conform to the phonic or graphic rules of the TL (p.29).
     
     
   • Cultural transplantation: The SL name is replaced by the TL name that has the same cultural connotation as the original one (p.29).
   
   
   Peter Newmark (1988b) holds that people's names should, as a rule, not be translated when their names have no connotation in the text (p.214). He adds some exceptions such as names of known saints, monarchs, and popes, which are known in the translated form in the TL (p.214).
   
   
   
   Newmark (1988a) also recommends that, in communicative translation, a personal name, along with its connotation, should be translated where proper names are treated connotatively (p.151). In spite of that, the PNs must be transferred in semantic translation (p.151).
   In addition, with regard to names that have connotations in the imaginative literature such as in comedies, allegories, fairy tales, and some children's stories, Newmark recommends that they be translated. He adds that the previous rule should be followed unless, like in folk tales, nationality is a significant aspect.
   In cases where both nationality and connotation are significant aspects, the most appropriate method, in Newmark's opinion, is first to translate the name to the TL, then to naturalize the translated word into a new proper name provided that the personal name is not yet current among the educated readers of the TL (p.215).
   
   
   Theo Hermans (1988) believes that there are at least four strategies for translation of names. He phrases them,
   
   
   
   "They can be copied, i.e. reproduced in the target text exactly as they were in the source text. They can be transcribed, i.e. transliterated or adapted on the level of spelling, phonology, etc. A formally unrelated name can be substituted in the target text for any given name in the source text. And insofar as a name in a source text is enmeshed in the lexicon of that language and acquires 'meaning,' it can be translated" (p.13).
   Hermans contends that some other alternatives are also possible, namely various combinations of the above methods, omitting the source text (ST) proper name in the target text (TT), substitution of a common name in the TT for the PN in the ST, the insertion of the PN in the TT while no PN exists in the ST (p.14).
   
   
   Farzanne Farahzad (1995) states that transliteration and transcription are used for translation of personal proper names. The latter is the replacement of one letter of the alphabet in the source language (SL) by another letter in the target language (TL). The former occurs when the letter of the target language shows the pronunciation of the PN in the source language (p.43).
   
   
   
   She expounds that transcription suffers from the following defects:
   • There are no established rules for transcription.
     

     The transcription of personal names varies on the basis of various accents such as American and British.
     
     The transcription may be influenced by the translator's pronunciation, which may lead to an incorrect transcription.

     
     
     

     The exact transcription of personal names is not always possible; that is, all languages do not have the same consonants or vowels.
   • The pronunciation of personal names' transcription is more difficult than that of their translation (pp.43-44).
   In view of the foregoing reasons, she concludes that transliteration is a better strategy to be used by translators (p.44).
   
   
   
   
   Anthony Pym (2004) proposes that proper names not be translated (p.92).
   
   
   
   He also defines the result of transliteration operations as 'absolute equivalence' in that it results in the exact quantitative equality between input and output (p.90). In his view, the most problematic aspect of 'absolute equivalence' is that it is often unacceptable equivalence, unless much language learning is involved. In this regard, Pym contends that alternatives are imperative (p.92).
   
   
   
   Lincoln Fernandes (2006) lists a set of ten procedures in the translation of personal names as follows:
   
   
   
   
   • Rendition: When the in the ST is enmeshed in the TL, the meaning is rendered in the TL. For example, translating the word 'Lady' as 'Mulher,' which means 'woman' in Brazilian Portuguese, reveals that the translator has used a 'superordinate' (woman) instead of a hyponym of woman, a specific word such as 'senhora' or 'dama' (= lady).
     
     
     
     
     Copy: As a matter of fact, in this case, the name of the ST is exactly replicated in the TT—without any orthographic adjustment. As an illustration, Alice King is reproduced in the Arabic text—which has a different alphabet from English one-with no change.
     
     
     
     
     Transcription: This a method in which a name is transcribed in the equivalent characters of the TL. In order to keep the readability of the TT, some other changes such as addition or shift in the position of the letters may occur e.g. Ahoshta Tarkaan is changed to Achosta Tarcaã.
     
     
     
     
     Re-creation: A newly-created name in the ST is recreated in the TT so that it reproduces the similar effects in the TL such as Mr. Ollivander that is translated to Sr. Olivares.
     
     
     
     
     Substitution: A TL name replaces the SL name, although they are formally and/or semantically unrelated.
     
     
     
     
     Deletion: In this type of strategy, the name in the ST is, partially or totally, omitted in the TT.
     
     
     
     
     Addition: Extra information is added to the SL name so that it can be more understandable and desirable to the target readers. As a matter of fact, this method may also be used to remove ambiguities in the TT.
     
     
     
     
     Transposition: This is a change of one part of speech for another one without any shift in the meaning. In fact, this a way for translating titles that have transparent role in literature for identifying particular literary works. Because of this reason, this procedure is taken into consideration here.
     
     
     
     
     Phonological Replacement: In this procedure, the phonological features of the original name are imitated in the TL. In other words, a TL name, which has a similar sound to the SL name, replaces the original name.
     
     
   • Conventionality: This strategy is defined as the acceptance of a typical translation of a name in the SL. In view of this case, it is interesting to know that conventionality is often used with historical or literary individuals as well as geographical names.
     
   
   
   
   Heikki Särkkä (2007) reports that there are four strategies for translating PNs;
   
   
   • They can be transported completely from the TL to the SL (allowance being made for possible transliteration or transcription, depending on the SL).
     
     
     
     
     They can be partly transported from the SL and partly translated.
     
     
   • They can be replaced with more or less different names in the TL.
     
   • They can be dispensed with altogether.